Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 or 4/5. The reason for that is because I'm not entirely comfortable with the release of these songs without the finishing touches of Michael himself. The overall flow of the album is sort of strange to me and the production of the songs is.. questionable. I hear a lot of extra effects that aren't necessarily needed, but meh..
Hold My Hand- A feel good, reach out to your neighbor, type of song. Enjoyed it since the leak and I'm enjoying this "finished" version.
Hollywood Tonight- Definitely a song that's been growing on me. The beatbox is engaging and the overall tempo/feeling of the song is upbeat. One of the couple of songs that I really feel should be a single.
Keep Your Head Up- Another feel-good song. Personally, I don't care for it too much, but I'm just not into these type of songs. The MJ vocals are good here though, so I'm not really questioning the authenticity of this one too much.
The Way You Love Me- I've never heard this one before even though it's been released for some time now. This one has been starting to grow on me a bit because of the drum and bass in the background. The intro is fun to listen to as well, with MJ beatboxing how he wants the drums to sound like.
Monster- Personally, I'm not entirely digging this song like many others are. The song overall has a "Threatened" sort of feel to me and the vocals are throwing me off because of all the effects. At some parts, it doesn't sound like MJ to me (just my personal opinion). The rap part sounds pretty much like every other rap part on MJ's songs, which have never really been particularly appealing to me. So overall, not digging it so far. Maybe it'll grow on me, who knows.
Best of Joy- Another bright/happy feeling song, which made me feel better after listening to Monster.. A lot of falsetto in this song, which I find interesting to hear. Might grow on me.
Breaking News- Oh boy.. This song again haha. The version on the album does indeed sound different than the one that Sony first released for preview, to me at least(Maybe I'm just crazy). Doesn't sound quite as overproduced like it did before, but the parts where he sings "Michael Jackson" still throws me off. So overall, it's an engaging song, but I just can't find myself to trust/like it.
Another Day- A song I had high expectations for after listening to the leaked snippet. The beats in the song are great, but it gets far too repetitive after a while. The lyrics aren't up to M.J standards at all; I really got the "incomplete" feel from this song. I believe if MJ had the chance to work on this, it would be a hit.
Behind The Mask- Definitely one of my favorites, if not my favorite, song on the album. The saxophone at the intro is great, though the song could do without the audience noise.. If I'm not mistaken, this song is from the Thriller-era, and it does give the 80's sound/feel to me. Great vocals and beat
Much Too Soon- Beautiful song with only instruments and Michael singing, none of the overproduced effects like the other songs on the album. Has that typical "slow" song feel to it and I think it's a great ending to the album.
All in all, I feel that the album was far too overproduced but considering the state that most songs were in, I suppose it's an adequate attempt. I personally don't think MJ would've wanted this to be released, but there are a couple of gems on this album (for me at least): Hollywood Tonight, The Way You Love Me, and Behind The Mask.
